Around Ann Arbor, I have noticed that some guys (both Asians and whites) are wearing Hello Kitty outfits. Knee length skirts,and huge platform shoes, carrying huge, stuffed animals on their backs, attached to backpack like straps. Faces painted like kabuki-actors. The deliberately speak broken English ( Japanese style) that they call "Jingrish", and also speak in a very affected, high-pitched, little girl voice.

I cant figure out if these guys are just plain crazy, or if they are perverts.

You are encountering the Japanese "Cosplay" phenomenon. It's a popular, long-term fad and really something to behold. It is about duality of life. Japanese guy goes to work in indentical to others suit, acts indentical..then on free time...goes out 2-3 nights a week carefully made up and dressed to be anything from a Tellytubby to a "Cats" play character to Pan...complete with horns and hoofs.They seek one another out and socialize in character. Like a masquerade ball taken public.

Like many creative Japanese things, it has gone global. A friend coming back from Germany said he encounted a group of German & Czech teens dressed up as Cosplay Pokemon characters. Very, very good costumes and makeup. Two giant German guys in yellow arguing over who was the better Picachu.

This is quite tame by Japanese standards. It's more of a poke in the eyes to the fuddy-duddy old school Japanese culture. I mean, it's not like they put scat on their faces while getting anally penetrated by tentacles, while watching Japanese seizure porn as they vomit into each others mouths while wearing furry costumes. Now that is more Japanese mainstream.

Manba is much more than just a dark tan, coloured hair and heavy make up? It’s a protest against the normal beauty-terms in japan; Black hair and pale skin. Yes, japanese people take it over the top, but that’s just good. I mean, it’s a lifestyle in my eyes, and there’s a lot different kinds of japanese styles that are a lot like this, banba and sentaa (… for guys) and I don’t think that it’s just that simple. I Like this style a lot, but I don’t wear it.Get a little more into it before you start screaming out about how dump and idiotic and scary and creepy this style is.